Time
by white rose01
Summary: Flack watches Danny in his hospital bed, wondering how time has the ability to go so fast and yet so damn slow… DannyFlack Friendship Final Chapter now up!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. But its not from lack of trying!_

AN: Don't know where this came from, or whether to continue it. Reviews are always gratefully received, and are incentive to write more. So please, read, review and enjoy.

Time

Flack shook his head, wincing as the movement jarred his bandaged shoulder, wondering how time had the ability to go so fast and yet so damn slow.

From when the suspect had pulled a gun, to back up finally getting their asses in gear and getting rid of him, time had flown. But at the moment when Danny had been hit, time had held no meaning.

He'd looked surprised at first, as blood plumed from his chest, the bullet pushing flesh, blood and bone out of its way, and then the pain had hit him. Both literally and figuratively, as another bullet had smashed it's way into Danny's fragile flesh. Danny had let out a pained grunt, and then rushed to embrace the floor.

All Flack could do was watch, hopelessly transfixed, as his best friend was shot twice, all in the space of what must have been five seconds at the very most. As soon as his brain had kicked back in, and he'd regained control of his body, he'd jumped and tackled the suspect to the floor, gaining himself a bullet in the shoulder for his trouble.

"See what I do for you, Messer?" Flack said jokingly, "Didn't want you to get anymore bullet holes in your suit..."

The figure in the hospital bed was unresponsive, causing Flack to sigh.

"C'mon Danny, open your eyes" he pleaded.

There was nothing to indicate that he'd been heard.

"Asshole" muttered Flack, he didn't mean it in the slightest, but it made him feel a little more normal. And it was also said in the hope that Danny would respond with some smart-ass answer. Although he wouldn't put it past Danny to be watching him suffer.

Again, there was no response.

Flack sighed again and looked at the machines that Danny was attached to. He was reassured by the green line tracing Danny's heartbeat, relieved to find that it was now steady.

As soon as the suspect had been dealt with, he'd rushed to Danny's side. He'd frozen, shocked at the amount of blood, before his first aid training had kicked in. He'd applied pressure to the wound with one hand, called for an ambulance and back up with the other, and kept Danny talking as well.

Flack had been scared and he didn't mind admitting it. Watching Danny's life drain from him with every beat of his heart had been terrifying. And Danny's face had reflected Flack's fear. They both knew only too well what bullets did to flesh.

"Oh my god, I'm dying Flack!"

Danny's frantic and terrified words had cut Flack to the core. Mainly because they were true. And Flack had been helpless to do anything, except try to reassure Danny, to urge him to hold on.

He'd known it was a losing battle though. He'd felt Danny's blood pumping out between his fingers, saw Danny's lips turning blue and felt him getting colder. Danny's breathing had been painful enough to listen to, let alone experience and Flack had known that time was running out.

The relief that he'd felt when the paramedics arrived had been massive. They had quickly taken over, attached Danny to monitors, IV's and god know what else, and before he knew it, Danny had been in the back of an ambulance.

Time had again stood still then. This time it had focused on the high pitched squealing of the alarm, telling them all that Danny's heart had given up. Flack had almost had a heart attack as well, helpless to do anything but watch the monitor, a flat green line tracing its way across it.

Flack gave a shuddering breath, and checked the monitor again, reassuring himself that Danny _did _have a steady heartbeat and that instead of that terrible flatline, there were peaks and falls.

Flack had been so intent on Danny, that it came as a shock to him when the paramedics had forced him into another ambulance to get treated for his own bullet wound. He'd forgotten all about it in his desperation to help Danny. As they had poked about it though, it had become impossible to ignore; it felt like he'd been shot all over again.

Even so, his thoughts had stayed with Danny, thoughts of the paramedics working frantically on Danny, trying to coax life back into him invading his mind. The first thing that Flack had wanted to do on arriving at the hospital was to find Danny. The paramedics had had other ideas though.

It had taken two paramedics, a nurse and a doctor before he'd grudgingly agreed to get treated, and that was after the doctor had told him that Danny's heart had been restarted and that he was being worked on in a trauma room. That, and the threat of sedation.

Flack made a face. Even if he hadn't have been worried sick about Danny, the threat of sedation would have changed his mind anyway. He hated being drugged and out of control of his body. The last time he'd been sedated, he'd been able to feel, think and blink. It had been like being a prisoner in his own body, and wasn't an experience that he was keen to repeat.

Danny shifted slightly, and Flack's attention snapped back to the figure. He held his breath. But still Danny lay there, machines breathing for him, eyes closed.

Flack swore under his breath, much to the displeasure of the nurse that had just walked into the room to check Danny's vitals.

"Sorry" he muttered, and the nurse looked appeased.

"Your friend should be waking up any minute now." She told him, obviously appeased enough to volunteer information. Either that or she didn't want him bugging her. Again.

The first time he'd been allowed to see Danny was once his shoulder had been poked some more, bandaged up and then after he'd had the necessary shots. So Flack had been a little impatient to say the least.

He'd been shocked to find Danny looking a helluva lot worse than when he'd left him, which was an achievement. Danny's usually golden skin had been pale and white, the blood had gone, in its place had been pristine white bandages, covering his chest. There had been wires and tubes attached to him everywhere, a monitor beeping as it traced his heartbeat. And worst of all had been the ventilator breathing for him.

Flack looked at the scene in front of him, little changed from when he'd first seen Danny. That had been 24 hours ago. In that time, the other CSIs had come to visit, but had left a couple of hours ago to get some sleep. Flack had only moved to go to the toilet. He was waiting for the moment when Danny opened his eyes, just to make sure that he really was ok.

Danny shifted again, and Flack froze, praying that this time Danny would open his eyes. Once again, it was to no avail.

Flack shook his head, wincing as the movement jarred his bandaged shoulder, wondering how time had the ability to go so fast and yet so damn slow...


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Still own nothing_

AN: Thank you to everyone that's reviewed, because of you, there is now a second chapter! So, this chapter is for Igiveup, Arodloverus2001, CSI Gray, Dragon Empress, dadsgirl4eva, Swede85, Loopey-Laura and just a reader, I hope that you all enjoy it. As always, reviews are gratefully received.

Chapter 2

Flack leaned over the sink and eyed his reflection critically. There were bags under his eyes and one and a half days worth of stubble on his chin. So, not only did he feel like crap, but he apparently looked like it too.

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Danny still hadn't woken up, and there was no way in hell that Flack was leaving before he did, before he'd reassured himself that Danny was ok.

He made a face at his reflection and looked at his watch. The 'any minute now' that the nurse had promised was taking a lot longer than expected. He kept asking when it was going to happen, receiving a 'soon' or a 'later' for his troubles. It had got to the stage now that they didn't even wait for him to ask, and just said it as soon as they walked into the room.

Flack gingerly poked at his shoulder, letting out a hiss of pain as he came into contact with the actual bullet hole. It had been aching for a while, a painful reminder of the previous days events. He gently tried to move it, wincing as bolts of pain shot through him. He knew that he should probably be in a hospital bed, drugged to the eyeballs on pain relief, but he figured that he could deal with the pain until Danny had woken up.

He scrubbed at his eyes with his good arm, freezing as a high pitched squealing cut through the air.

"Danny" he breathed, and burst into action.

He sprinted out the door and back into Danny's room. His heart was pounding and his shoulder was protesting violently, but all his thoughts were on his friend.

It was a shock to find only one other person in the room. From the beeping, Flack had immediately assumed the worst, and to find a nurse calmly going about her way was quite disconcerting.

"What happened?" demanded Flack.

"Mr Flack – " began the nurse.

"Detective," he corrected automatically.

"_Detective _Flack, sorry, an EKG lead came loose, meaning that the machines thought that his heart had stopped, but he's fine and – oh, you're bleeding!"

Flack looked down at his shoulder and to his dismay found that the nurse was right, blood was soaking through his shirt.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

The nurse guided him to a chair and practically pushed him down onto it.

"Take off your shirt," she ordered.

Flack complied, wincing as he did so. The nurse then carefully cut away the bandages, shaking her head as she saw the damage.

"Looks like you've torn your stitches, Detective. I'll have to redo them."

Flack groaned at her words, and turned to scowl down at Danny.

"This is your fault, Messer!"

Still there was no response, the brilliant blue eyes remaining closed.

Flack dropped his head, immediately regretting the movement as waves of pain washed through his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, glad that he was sitting down. When he reopened them, the nurse was standing over him, a concerned expression on her face. Flack gave her a weak smile.

"I'm fine, it's nothing, really," he tried to convince her.

"Uh-huh," she said disbelievingly.

She then walked out the room, presumably to get supplies, leaving Flack alone, with the pain in his shoulder and a non-responsive Danny. Flack looked round furtively, making sure that no one was in earshot.

"Danny, c'mon please, wake up. Open your eyes," he practically begged.

But still there was no response. Flack slumped in his seat as the nurse walked back in the room, bearing all she needed to repair his torn stitches.

"Right, this won't take long," she said, as she came at him with a syringe.

He winced as the needle punctured his skin, but felt almost immediate relief from the pain as the medicine flowed through his veins. He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes, realising for the first time how tired he actually was. He forced his eyes open again; reminding himself that there would be plenty of time to sleep once Danny had woken up.

He subtly looked over at Danny, checking that his eyes were still closed and that he hadn't missed him waking.

"It won't be long now," the nurse said, following his gaze.

Flack gave her a guilty smile - so much for being subtle! Even so, they'd been telling him that all day and it still hadn't materialised, so he was starting to lose faith that Danny would wake up any time soon.

"There, all done."

The nurse finished her stitching and nodded with approval.

"Now be careful, no more sudden movements, ok?"

Flack nodded meekly, and muttered his thanks as the nurse walked out the door.

"You're just lucky that I'm the forgiving type," he told Danny.

He held his breath as Danny stirred slightly, but still the blue eyes remained shut.

"C'mon Danny, you owe me, open your eyes!"

Danny stirred some more, and Flack leaned forward, wondering if his pleas had been heard, and if they were finally going to be answered.

He watched with bated breath as the previously motionless figure made a fist with their hand, before relaxing it again.

Then the blue eyes opened.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Same as usual, own nothing, all the property of CBS and Anthony Zuiker_

AN: Firstly, I must apologise for not writing this sooner. Uni preparations, trying to see as much of my friends as I can before we all go away, and finally writer's block have all conspired against me. But it is now finally written. I think this will be the final chapter, unless I have any sudden urge to write more, although there may well be a prologue appearing with the crime scene/shooting sometime in the future. Many thanks go to Cunnane, for unofficially beta-ing this chapter and pointing out all my stupid mistakes. Then a thousand thank yous to everyone who has reviewed, it is such a high to know that people enjoy what I write. As always, reviews are welcomed and appreciated! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the final chapter.

Chapter 3

Flack blinked and rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.

When he opened his eyes, however, he found out that Danny's eyes were shut. He made a disgruntled face; first he'd torn his stitches, now he was hallucinating? Was it possible for his day to get any better?

When the blue eyes appeared to open again, he was sure it was his eyes playing tricks on him, this time, however, Danny's eyes stayed open, and Flack allowed himself to believe that Danny might actually be awake.

"Danny?" he ventured.

Danny raised a weak hand in response.

"Take your time, why don't you?" Flack said gruffly, unable to completely mask the relief in his voice as he stood up to press the call button before moving to hover over Danny.

Danny blinked at him, eyes hazy and confused, obviously having no memory of what had happened.

Flack hesitated, unsure of what to tell Danny, unsure if it would upset him and cause a setback. Before he was forced to make a decision, the nurse walked in.

"Hi, Danny, I'm Nurse Jones. Its good to see you awake, you're in Mount Sinai hospital…do you remember what happened?"

On Danny's small shake of the head, she continued,

"You were shot twice in the chest…and were it not for your friend here, you may not have made it."

Flack looked down at the ground in embarrassment, willing for an interruption of some kind. As if someone was reading his mind, the door opened and a doctor walked in.

The doctor walked straight over to Danny, and started exchanging what Flack presumed were Danny's vitals and other medical information, the long words and numbers going straight over his head.

"Right, Mr Messer, lets get you off this ventilator shall we?"

At Danny's emphatic nod, the doctor laughed.

"That seems to be the response most patients give. Ok, if your friend could just step out for a couple of minutes, we'll see what we can do for you."

Flack stared at the doctor, who stared right back and inclined her head in the direction of the door. Seeing that it was a battle that he was not going to win, Flack walked out the room, a disgruntled expression on his face. He'd barely left Danny's side when he'd been asleep, and as soon Danny was awake, he'd been forced out the room.

He paced the corridor for a few minutes; the disgruntled expression still firmly affixed on his face. It immediately disappeared when he realised that Mac and the rest of the team didn't know that Danny had woken up. Flack grabbed for his cellphone, and was about to punch in the number when he remembered that he wasn't allowed to use it in the hospital. He looked around for a payphone, or a corridor, just something that he could use to call the crime lab and let them know. But nothing was forthcoming.

"Dammit!" he muttered under his breath. Sometimes he was convinced that someone was out to get him.

The door to Danny's room opened behind him, and the doctor walked out. Flack immediately forgot about calling the lab, and concentrated on the doctor.

"Is he ok? Does he remember what happened? How long will it take before he's back on his feet? Is he in pain? Can I see him?"

The doctor held up her hands as Flack paused for breath.

"Right, in answer to your questions: he's going to be fine. I don't think he remembers all of it so be prepared to answer questions about it, but be careful with your detail as it may upset him. How long before he's back on his feet? I should think that it'd be a couple of weeks before we can release him but that depends. No, he's not in pain, he's on medication to counter it, and yes, you can see him now. Anything else? And is there anyone that you want us to contact?"

Flack let out a breath that he didn't realise he was holding.

"Umm yeah, could you contact Detective Mac Taylor at the crime lab for me please? He wanted to know when Danny woke up. Thanks."

The doctor nodded and shooed him in the direction of Danny's room.

"Go on, go! Just go easy on him though, ok? Don't upset him or let him over exert himself."

Flack was halfway through the door before she'd even finished talking.

Once he was in the room, he went and stood at the foot of Danny's bed, watching as the nurse finished making notes on Danny's chart.

On subtly observing Danny, Flack was glad to see the slightest hint of colour in his cheeks. It hadn't been right seeing Danny all pale and motionless, so to have him awake and with colour was a step back towards normality.

As the nurse finished her notes and walked out, Danny spoke.

"It's rude to stare, ya know," he said hoarsely.

Flack felt his cheeks warm. _Smooth, Don, so much for subtle! _

"Sorry," he said gruffly, "I just needed to make sure you were really ok."

Danny nodded, and lay back against his pillows, letting out a sigh as he did so.

"So, how long I been out?" he asked.

"Uhh…about a day and a half? Give or take."

"You been here the whole time?"

"Yeah, I got time on my hands…why?"

"You look like crap."

Flack looked at him incredulously.

"Excuse me?"

"You. Look. Like. Crap," Danny repeated slowly, a smirk playing about his lips.

"Take a look in the mirror, Messer, and that's the last time I ruin my best suit savin' your ass!" retorted Flack indignantly.

The smirk on Danny's face faded, and he looked at Flack with a serious expression on his face.

"Seriously, Flack, Thanks. The doctor said that you pretty much saved my life…not that I remember much of what went on. But I guess that's a good thing, isn't it? Or maybe it isn't, I forget…"

It was Flacks turn to smirk as the medication started to kick in and Danny started to ramble.

"Yeah, It was really, really nice of you to ruin your suit for me, I 'preciate it…"

Danny trailed off as the medication took further hold of his body. Flack sat back and watched as Danny's eyes turned hazy, and then eventually closed. He smiled as he sat down, knowing that if Danny was able to make rude comments, he was on the mend.

He decided to hang round until Danny woke up again, and until the rest of the CSIs arrived. He knew that he should go home and get some rest, but hey, he had time for that later.

Flack blinked and rubbed his eyes, determined not to fall asleep as once again, he settled in to wait for Danny to wake up. Typically, he was bored five minutes later, and even contemplated poking Danny until he woke up.

He smirked and shook his head, wincing as the movement jarred his now re-bandaged shoulder, wondering once more how time had the ability to go so fast and yet so damn slow.


End file.
